No related posts.

My friends and family have brought up the issue of when is the critical point to start and how one can simplify the process to pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Well, as with any investment into one’s life (e.g., taking up a new hobby, choosing a career, investing, etc), a baseline assessment must be conducted so you can understand where you stand in hopes of focusing your energy efficiently to achieve your goals. Thus, I strongly recommend a family health assessment (Free HERE). From my research, the students I have worked with have found this experience beneficial as they were able to focus their efforts and make realistic/achievable goals. For example, students who have family members prone to high blood pressure have focused their dietary goals to consuming less salt and/or fatty foods by replacing them with leaner alternatives, healthier oils, consuming more water, etc. Such goals are specific enough to measure versus just a generic recommendation of consume more fruits and vegetables. By committing to reduce salt intake and consume leaner meats, some of our students have seen improved blood markers – e.g., higher HDL (the good cholesterol).

Any other assessment is really up to the individual…but being able to know what you are prone to based on your family history is an essential step. And it’s free! So Miguel, yes this is a problem of awareness – knowing what you are prone to – as well as an issue to understanding where to focus your efforts. A family health assessment may provide the critical guidance towards a healthier lifestyle.

The population that I am interested in are emerging adults (age 18-25). These are a group of individuals who are still developing their identity and habits. I’m sure we have all gone through phases during these ages to establish our identity. So it’s an ideal age to develop solid health habits, as emerging adults appear to be accepting of new habits. Also, through focus groups that I’ve conducted, college students have responded well to partaking in a course to learn how to establish healthier habits.

What about people who have already set good habits, but may fall behind or “cheat?” Catching yourself before you fall is one that I have faced personally. Thus, relapse prevention is critical. Relapse is inevitable and humans are prone to going back to their old habits. Studies that have prescribed individuals to a healthy diet have shown positive and significant weight loss in the first 3-6 months…however there is regain of the lost weight by the 12 month mark. In most cases, the overall weight loss is significant compared to baseline. However, the focus should not be to completely eliminate relapse, but to ensure that one has learned and acquired the tools/techniques to identify when they are relapsing and how to address the issue. There are several ways to approach this issue. What I have found successful is making periodical assessments (re-evaluating goals), having a community to share one’s experience, using a simple self-monitoring tool, and even applying what you learned to mentor a friend to adopt healthier habits. This is why communities are very powerful…as Facebook, MyFitnessPal, and VTrim have demonstrated.

A community follwer – Jared - from ProjectMONA,  asked me some great questions that get into the specifics of healthy living and the controversial issues of nutrition. His question about what factors are relevant to health, however, can be difficult to answer since there are so many factors: 1) nutritional habits 2) physical activity 3) stress coping 4) environmental factors 5) genetics…etc. But if anyone can find an exact answer, then I will award you a Nobel Prize and a PhD in Nutrition =). The real answer is that almost anything can affect your health. It’s a matter of how you can address an issue from the knowledge gained.

Jared, also asked the question of what interventions have been successful to healthy living and how it varies by demographics. Well, most of the research has been conducted with white females, aged 30 and above. This could be due to the belief that white females seem to be more willing to participate in research studies and/or more concerned about their own health compared to other groups. So there is a lack of data in diverse ethnic populations as well as males. Thus, this is another reason I chose an underrepresented population – emerging adults. Even then, it’s still difficult to get more males to participate. Also, when you think of health and nutrition, weight loss usually comes to mind; and hands down, the most successful tool for weight loss has been weighing yourself at least once a week. The research has shown it and the scale has stood the test of time due to its simplicity. Step on! Out pops a number! Also, the WeightWatchers™ has been successful due to its simiplicity. You are allocated an allowance of points and can spend them as you like throughout the day as certain foods are worth specific points – no calories to count or foods to weigh. Just stay within your allocated WeightWatchers™ points (Click HERE to learn more about the program).

What about various controversial issues of why federal recommendations are set the way they are; and whether whole grains and pasteurized milk are necessary, etc. These are topics that I constantly finding discrepancies in the literature and from other health “experts.” I would be more then welcome to talk to you more about this as it requires discussion of its own if I want to do justice to the topic. But, I will say that you must keep a critical mind when trusting the sources of these findings. A big issue with these findings are the methodological limitation, which I have seen in MANY controversial issues. One study will find the harmful effects of Food “A,” and make extravagant conclusions. But, the methodology in which the study was approached is questionable and may not be fully reproducible. For example, sample sizes may be too small – allowing for variance in the data – which reduces credibility. In the case of milk, pasteurization methods are not all standardized, etc. This is one reason why researchers in nutrition contently finding new “break-throughs” then what was previously believed.  Similar to any field (finance, physics, photography), as new instruments are developed, they allow us to explore older paradigms and theories in that we may possibly find a different belief then once thought.

One should never base their dietary needs on one sole food/food group; instead they should strive for a balanced diet. Why? Nutrient content of foods vary due to many reasons (e.g., season, location, temperature, etc). Case and point…MILK! Pasteurization does decrease certain nutrients, however the initial amounts of some are miniscule from the start and if you have a balanced diet then it should not be an issue. Interestingly, pasteurization can increase Vitamin A found in milk (necessary for vision health). In relation to bone calcification, your body tightly regulates the amount of bone being mineralized. If anything, caffeine is more of an issue to loss of bone density than the type of milk consumed. Also, calcium and Vitamin D are fortified in milk, so if you decide to opt out of drinking milk, you can find Vitamin D and calcium in other sources (fortified orange juice, almond milk, or dark green leafy vegetables). Thus, this is why there are these national guidelines, to help provide suggestions on what may constitute a balanced diet to ensure that most Americans are getting the right nutrients. Again, it’s only a recommendation and one should always strive to question and search credible sources as information is constantly changing.

Pursuing a healthy lifestyle should be an ever changing topic for one to pursue throughout their lives.

Thanks for reading,

Ali Al-Rajhi, MPH

No related posts.

“Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but up to 60 percent of American young people consistently skip it. Now, Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, says eating a breakfast rich in protein significantly improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking on high-fat or high-sugar foods in the evening, which could help improve the diets of more than 25 million overweight or obese young adults in the U.S.”

2) How Healthy is Your County? County Health Rankings 2013 (source: RWJF)

“How healthy is your county? Answers are out today in the 2013 County Health Rankings, which examine the health and well-being of people living in nearly every county in the United States and show that how long and well people live depends on multiple factors beyond just their access to medical care. The Rankings allow counties to see what’s making residents sick or healthy and how they compare to other counties in the same state. The County Health Rankings, now in its fourth year, is a joint project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.”

3) The Affordable Care Act: Three Years Post-Enactment (source: Kaiser Family Foundation)

“On March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. Although the date for full implementation of most provisions of the law is January 1, 2014, the ACA has already led to progress toward expanded coverage of the uninsured; improved access and better care delivery models; broader access to community-based long-term care; and more integrated care and financing for beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.”

Related posts:

1. Public Health News Roundup from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
2. Better Transportation Options=Healthier Lives from the RWJF

“We can learn a lot about improving the world in the 21st century from an icon of the industrial era: the steam engine. Over the holidays I read The Most Powerful Idea in the World, a brilliant chronicle by William Rosen of the many innovations it took to harness steam power. Among the most important were a new way to measure the energy output of engines and a micrometer dubbed the “Lord Chancellor,” able to gauge tiny distances.”

No related posts.

No related posts.